Breathe
by Kitrinlu
Summary: Neville is worried about his potions exam, but Luna knows just what to do


Written for thedreamisreal for the hh_writersblock Term XIX fic exchange on Livejournal.

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><p>Neville poked listlessly at his plate. Normally he liked shepherds pie, but today...<p>

He couldn't do it. The Potions practical was this afternoon, and he was going to fail. He thought the theory exam this morning had gone alright - he couldn't remember half the ingredients of a Calming Draught, and from the sounds of it he'd mixed up the uses of dragons' blood and banshee hairs - but he was fairly sure he'd at least passed.

The practical, though, was another thing entirely. No Hermione muttering instructions from behind her cauldron. No sharing a rueful glance with Seamus after a disaster. No comparing ingredients with Harry, or listening to Ron grumbling under his breath. Just him and his cauldron, some ingredients, and the subject he was worst at in the world.

Next to him, he could hear Hermione muttering recipes under her breath. Opposite them, Ron was rolling his eyes at her in between mouthfuls of shepherds pie, while a few seats further down, Seamus practised wand movements over his goblet of pumpkin juice. He could hear snatches of conversation from around the Great Hall: "...you can't use juniper berries for a Cleansing Solution...", "...mandrake root, powdered unicorn horn, rose petals, sea salt...", "...question twelve. I put frogs' legs, but I'm not...".

Neville reached for his pumpkin juice, swallowing against the lump in his throat. As he did so, his wrist knocked against his knife, sending it skidding across the table to hit the floor with a clang. Suddenly, everyone's eyes were on him; he felt surrounded by a sea of accusing stares.

"Alright, mate?" Ron asked. Neville couldn't tell if his tone was amused or pitying. Or both.

He couldn't stand it any more. It was like all the air had been sucked out of the room; he couldn't breathe. He had to get out of here.

He was saved the trouble of explaining his disappearance by a sudden loud bang, followed by a cloud of black smoke. People began to crowd around Seamus, whose face was blackened with soot; obviously his practice had been more successful than he'd anticipated. Neville waited long enough to make sure Seamus was alright - his wide grin, half rueful, half triumphant, was reassurance enough - then quietly made his way out of the Great Hall.

Once he was far enough away from everyone to escape discovery, he stopped, and leaned up against the wall. Even out here, away from the others, the atmosphere still felt oppressive. He tugged at his collar, and tried to calm his racing heart.

"Hi, Neville."

He jumped. He'd been so lost in his own world that he hadn't even noticed Luna until she was standing right next to him.

"You left without finishing your shepherds pie," she stated, "and I'd think you'd be hungry. You really should have eaten it all, it was quite good."

Neville stared at her. He liked Luna - they shared an interest in Herbology, and had had a number of fascinating conversations, not only about plants, but on a wide range of interesting things - but it could be difficult to be sure how much she was in touch with the real world at any given time. He took a deep breath, wondering what on earth he should say.

"Come with me," Luna said suddenly, holding out her hand.

He boggled at her for a moment. "I can't, Luna, not right now. There's... we've got... this afternoon-"

"I know," she replied calmly. "That's why you need to come now. We'll be back in plenty of time, there's no need to worry." She gestured insistently. Totally bewildered, Neville took her hand and allowed her to lead him away.

After twists and turns down corridors that all looked the same, he was hopelessly lost. When they finally reached a dead end, he was beginning to wonder what on earth he was doing. Luna, on the other hand, strode forward confidently, her wand raised. She tapped a number of bricks in the wall in quick succession, singing as she did so a song that Neville recognised as an old nursery tune. Gradually, the wall in front of them turned hazy and indistinct, and Luna led him through it.

"Lumos," she whispered. The light of her wand revealed a tunnel, tree roots growing down through its earthy walls, stretching away further than their illumination reached.

"Wait, where are we going?" Neville asked in alarm, dropping Luna's hand. "What _is_ this?"

"It's a secret passage," Luna replied, as if this sort of thing happened every day. "The castle is full of them. I found this one a few weeks ago; I don't think anyone else knows about it yet."

Okay, maybe this sort of thing _did_ happen every day.

"I like to go looking for them," Luna continued. "It's nice to have a place where no one can find you. And they're a great place to look for blimpies, and other creatures that like the dark."

Neville briefly wondered if blimpies actually existed, then discarded the thought for something more important. "So where does it lead? Where are we actually going?"

Luna only smiled mysteriously, then skipped off down the tunnel. Neville, suppressing a sigh, could only follow her and hope that she knew what she was doing.

Following Luna through a secret passage soon turned out to be something of an adventure in itself. She kept getting distracted - "Look at this moss, it's glowing!", "I think I saw a blimpie!", "Do you think the trees can see us through their roots?" - and he spent all his time either trying to keep up while she dashed ahead, or trying to drag her away from her latest find. It didn't help that the tension was still burning in his stomach; it seemed to fill him up inside until there was no room left for anything else, until his entire world became an endless stumbling through the tunnel and a horrible airless terror.

Just as he was starting to think that the passage would never end - would "I was kidnapped and dragged through an endless tunnel by a fellow student?" be a good enough excuse for missing his Potions exam? - the path began to grow lighter. He followed Luna out, and found himself in a small clearing, filled with a riot of plant life and chattering birds. He had no idea where they were; he was fairly sure they had left the Hogwarts grounds, but this didn't look like Hogsmeade. Either way, this had to be against school rules.

He opened his mouth to point this out to Luna, but instead she gestured towards one of the bushes growing nearby. He took a closer look. Nestled in amongst the dark green, trifold leaves were small, purple-grey flowers. Shaped like twin sacs, they slowly expanded and contracted, giving the appearance of... breathing?

"It's a Bavarian Lungplant!" he exclaimed. "They're really rare in Britain. I've never seen one before, not even in a greenhouse. I have to get a cutting!"

"Yes, but not now," Luna reminded him gently.

The anxiety, which had been momentarily displaced by excitement, returned in full force, nearly choking him. "No, not now," he sighed, kneeling down to examine the plant more closely. Its leaves were soft and covered in fine hairs, making them feel furry to the touch. He watched the flowers, the sacs becoming translucent and distended, then deflating slowly, over and over.

Soon he noticed that his breathing had slowed in time with the flowers, a steady inhale and exhale, in and out, in and out. Somehow there was air for him now, the atmosphere no longer oppressive, his insides no longer roiling.

"That's it," said Luna softly, coming up behind him and putting a hand on his shoulder. "Just breathe. Everything will be alright if you just breathe."

He covered her hand with his, and together they watched for a few minutes more, in and out, in and out. Despite Luna's often strange approach to the world, somehow she'd known exactly what he needed.

"Thank you," he whispered as he stood to leave.

Luna said nothing, just smiled and held out her hand. He took it, and let her lead him back towards the tunnel. This time, he was smiling too.


End file.
